Saturday, February 16, 2013

Interview with ultimate fan girl - Diandra Lazor

Interview with ultimate fan girl -
Diandra Lazor

We all love attending horror conventions. It's a
magical place where one can truly feel in their right element. You're
surrounded by hundreds of people who all feel just as passionate as
you do about horror movies. First there's the actors, directors,
writers, and artist who we all love and adore. Being able to meet
some of the talent behind our favorite movies is nothing short of
being amazing. Then there's the merchandise, the film screenings, and
of course...the fans. Nothing puts a bigger smile on my face than
seeing the true hardcore fans dress up walking around the show as
some of the most memorable characters from these movies. I'm of
course one of these people who just have to snap a photo with them.
Some of these people are completely dedicated to these costumes. The
work and effort some of these people but behind is is completely
breathtaking. One of the most memorable fans who I'm sure many have
seen these past few years is Diandra Lazor. This girl is one of the
biggest Nightmare On Elm Street fans around and is a complete dead
ringer when she dresses up as Nancy from the first, third, and
seventh movie. Dressing up in costumes from each movie, the detail
alone that goes into it is insane. Diandra is a true fan who is a
prime example of truly loving a movie. It's fans like this that make
horror conventions so fun to attend. I was lucky enough to interview
her asking about her passion and love behind the character of Nancy
and her thoughts and views behind the whole convention scene. If you
haven't met Diandra yet at a show, you can see her in the amazing
documentary I am Nancy.

1) What would you say is your top five favorite horror movies?

That’s
tough. Other than the Elm Street films which dominate my list(mainly
Wes Craven‘s New Nightmare, the original, and A Nightmare On Elm Street
3: Dream Warriors), I would say Hellbound: Hellraiser II, the original
Fright Night, Scream, the original Halloween, and Poltergeist.

2) Do you remember when you first saw the original Nightmare On Elm Street?

My
first exposure to the original Elm Street came in segments when it was
on television. My family was never big into horror films. If we ever did
watch any, they were rare and almost always around Halloween. Even more
rare was when I would watch them. Mainly because I was not allowed and
partially because I was “scaredy cat”. Elm Street would pop up when I
least expected it, always seeming to be on the same scene: a charred
Marge slowly floating downward into the fog and lighting of her bed.
That scene gave me nightmares! I didn’t see it fully until I
spontaneously became a fan after a realistic Freddy dream in 2007. I had
to take that first viewing in strides. Still terrified me.

3) What was it that made you connect with the character of Nancy?

Nancy
struck me from the first time I saw the movie all the way through. She
was the girl next door, someone I felt I could know personally, but she
has that inner strength that really amazed me. She is young but powerful
in her mindset, intelligence, and fight. Nancy is also incredibly
righteous and working for the good of the many, traits I’ve always
admired. When the going got tough, she got tougher and kept going. She
could take any situation and deal with it the best she could using what
she had, like the booby traps. In Dream Warriors she was a guiding
light, someone to help the kids who felt lost and unheard. She had the
spunk, good heart, and gumption that I wanted for myself in life. But,
at the same time, it was almost as though I saw myself in her. Ever
since I was a little girl, my family has told me stories of me standing
up to people who bullied my friends. Even in grade school I recall being
the only one to stand up for what was right and fight for the
downtrodden when they were treated with disrespect. Within the first few
months of my fandom, as I was standing up for some wrongdoings in high
school, my mother said something that solidified my connection to her,
and I still have to smile because it was almost exactly what Marge had
told Nancy: “It is your nature to face things, but you don’t always turn
away when you should”. That got me looking at Nancy more than just a
movie character that I deeply admired, but more as someone I had a real
connection with.

4) Why do you feel Nancy is one of the stronger female leads among the many horror movies out there?

There
are a lot of really wonderful females, but I feel Nancy encompasses the
ultimate mix of courage, endurance, wisdom, resourcefulness, and
determination that has made her so beloved and recognized by the fans of
the genre. From the very beginning Nancy had a heroic air about her; as
Wes described in the script, she has the appearance of a “natural born
leader”. She takes charge and fights. Although she may not recognize it
until her battle with Krueger begins, Nancy is powerful. Yet it’s an
attainable, realistic strength, not something so outlandish and out
there that the audience couldn’t relate to her nor something that may
taint her believability as a teenager. It’s Nancy’s vulnerability and
her faults that make her such a strong character because we empathize.
She isn’t perfect and that’s what makes her so perfect. Nancy is also
very inspiring, both for those she helps inside of the films and those
in the audience watching. She’s become a symbol of perseverance, of
overcoming obstacles, the “Freddys” in our lives. She’s looked upon by
many, including myself, as hope; a hope we hope to become. Someone
capable of overcoming even the darkest times. Even if she does shed some
tears along the way, she never lets that stop her. In a world that can
sometimes be very cruel, we want to keep going. We want to, as Heather
says in her documentary I AM NANCY, “Be Nancy”.

It
is the characteristics of the warrior in her, the leader, the relatable
friend, and the inspiration that make her the ultimate final girl, lead
female, and influential character in my life.

5) Which Nightmare sequels are your favorites and why?

I
love all of the sequels, even the silly ones. Yes, the one’s with
Heather are my favorite(not just because of her, though), but every one
of them has something to bring to the table. But, my favorite sequel is
actually Wes Craven’s New Nightmare; also my favorite Nightmare film and
one of my favorite films of all time. It’s hit or miss normally with
the fan base but I think it’s extremely clever and very well executed.
The idea of Fred Krueger becoming embraced by an ancient evil(which he’s
symbolic of at his roots) that’s breaking out of the films into our
reality and having to go through the Heather and real people associated
with the films is a fantastically intriguing idea. I also adore the
homages and the fact that it’s not a “Hey, look it’s Freddy Krueger
slicing and dicing kids while cracking jokes”, but rather a film of
substance and story. I could go on for hours about why I adore the film.
Actually, I chose to analyzed and reviewed it for a Film As Art class
last semester. After viewing it for himself, my professor fell in love
with it and dubbed it both his favorite Wes Craven movie and his
favorite movie to watch out of the films the students in his class had
chosen to review. I felt so accomplished. Another for Team New
Nightmare!

6) What did you think of the Nightmare On Elm Street remake? Also what did you think of the new Nancy?

Where
to begin. Honestly, I actually think it’s okay, not some thing I love
but something I like. I was so excited and ended up disappointed. It has
some interesting moments, but overall it’s just a very cold movie. Too
much time was placed on the visuals and explaining things than giving us
a story and characters we care about. The CGI was also atrociously
obvious. The performances were okay. Jackie did what he could with what
mediocre script he was given yet his performance was really stiff; his
body, his face, and his voice reminded me of a plank of wood. I didn’t
want to see Robert but I wanted a good re-interpretation of Freddy.
Everyone was so excited that he was “realistic“, but that’s not
something that should have been important. Freddy’s a character of
dreams who embraces his newfound freedom. He’s creepy, he’s disgusting,
he knows it, and he loves it. In the remake, that’s something - among
several other aspects - that he desperately needed.

Now
to my least favorite aspect of the movie: Nancy, or “Holbrook” as I
call her. From the beginning I really tried to like her as a character
completely her own, but I feel absolutely nothing for her. To me she’s
unemotional, unrelatable, and uninteresting. Most of all, she’s not a
heroine by any means, especially by the means that defined Nancy
Thompson. She is the “anti-Nancy”. Those working on the movie said they
wanted to explain why Freddy’s #1 and why she was always such a poignant
figure to him. To any Nightmare and horror fan the answer is already
known: Nancy was his polar opposite, a fighter, and the first to conquer
him, and let’s face it you never forget your “first”. He was drawn to
her strength, willpower, and purity. Furthermore, she was the daughter
of the leaders of the mob who murdered him and changed the course of his
afterlife. For her, she’d always lived under the shadow of Krueger’s
deeds, even when she didn’t know it. She then dedicated her life to
fighting him, and then continued onward even in death. To their cores,
Nancy and Freddy were always meant to be archnemesis. This aspect really
fueled the Nightmare series and a lack of it severely damaged what the
remake could have been. A good horror film in my eyes has always
featured a great heroine or at least an admirable female and Rooney’s
“Holbrook” was neither. Rooney has stated that she didn’t like the role
so she kind of “sabotaged” it which is insulting to myself as a
Nightmare fan, definitely as a Nancy fan, and now ultimately contributes
to why I’m not fond of her.

7) Do you remember when you first met Heather?

I do! Very well.

8) When did you begin dressing up for conventions? What was Heather's reaction when she first saw you?

The
first convention I attended was DAYS OF THE DEAD Indianapolis in July
of 2011. It was also the convention where I first met Heather. Our first
meeting was not an “all at once”, but more gradual. I've been doing
costuming online since the end of 2009 and interacted with a few
Nightmare alumni but not yet Heather. Then the news about I AM NANCY
came out and I immediately became involved. I would submit my cosplay
photos to the official Facebook page where they’d be posted. I had also
interacted several times with director Arlene Marechal through e-mail so
she knew of my dedication to Nancy and it was because of this she asked
me to submit some video variations of me saying “I am Nancy” for her to
put in the music video on the DVD(I’m “webcam girl”). At that point I
was unsure if Heather knew about me, but I had assumed. Hearing that
Heather would be in Indianapolis and with the support of my friend, the
costume King Jeff “Wickedbeard”, I decided to go to my first convention.
About a week or week and a half before I was to meet her, I was asked
by the host of Delamorte’s Dungeon of Deadly Delights to be a guest host
on his show for his interview of Heather within the following few days.
I was honored and jumped right onboard. Pushing through nerves and
disbelief, I tried to remain collected during the interview and she
didn’t seem to know me by my first name. It wasn’t until I had said that
I was going to DAYS OF THE DEAD to see I AM NANCY for the first time
that she exclaimed “I know exactly who you are!”, making note of my
cosplay identifier which is “Nancy Thompson Of Elm Street”. At that
point all the walls came crumbling and I turned into a total fit of
giggles and overjoyed goodish-ness. She thanked me for my enthusiastic
support and knew all about the pajamas I planned to wear when I met her.
Before signing off, she told me she was excited to meet me and see my
costume. When I finally arrived at the convention, I didn’t go right up
to her out of fear(not very Nancy-like), but some of my fellow
fans/Facebook friends were coming up to me and telling me she‘d been
asking where I was and if they‘d seen me. Eventually, after I introduced
her before the convention’s screening of I AM NANCY, she gave me a hug
and she a wonderful “Be Nancy” shirt, we interacted privately after the
screening, and then she asked me to finally come visit her at her table.
Although I was rather quiet from being so overwhelmed, she was very
patient, receptive and we interacted many times. I was greeted with just
as much enthusiasm and warm support as she showed in the interview,
even surpassing any expectations I had for the first time I would meet
her. After the weekend was over and a few weeks passed, the cherry on
top came when she wrote a blog post on her website about her time in
Indianapolis, noting that she was excited about two things that weekend:
the Midwest screening of I AM NANCY and myself. Overjoyed and
appreciative do not even begin to encompass what I was feeling and how I
feel today. I saw her for a second time in November and she’s still as
extremely supportive, enthusiastic, friendly, and overall wonderful to
me as ever. Heather is an amazing woman who not only loves her fans, but
is also a genuinely wonderful person. Having someone like her who has
means so much show the great levels of admiration that Heather has shown
me is mind-boggling and can leave even the most talkative person
speechless. Unless a talkative person is recalling and explaining fond
memories. Then she turns into a long-winded, chatter-box. Example A!

9) What is your favorite costume you have done so far?

I
love my pajamas, but I’m incredibly partial to my post-freeway New
Nightmare costume with the jean shirt and brown vest. When I put it on, I
feel very much in character at all times as I limp around convention
halls. I also get to wear fake blood on my face, neck, and hands which
is exciting. Nancy doesn’t have too much opportunity for make-up like
that.

10) Are you a fan of Wes Craven's other films? Which are your favorites?

I
love all of Wes Craven’s work, even the cheesy ones like Dracula 2000.
My favorites of his undoubtedly belong to the Scream series. They’re
tons of fun, pay homage to classic horror films, have interesting plot
lines, and I love the characters, especially Sidney Prescott. She’s my
second favorite Final Girl.

11) Do you have any new costumes lined up for future shows?

I
do! I’m currently aiming for Nancy’s pink sweater outfit from the end
of Dream Warriors. The only problem is that my streak is on the
Nightmare 1/New Nightmare side and it’s permanent so I can’t move it nor
do I want to. I’m a stickler for details so I’d be bugged if I kept it
like that for the costume, even though it’s where it should have been in
the first place!

12) Favorite scene in the first Nightmare and why?

Nancy’s
booby trap scene. Definitely. It’s also my favorite Nancy scene because
it sums her up perfectly. At this moment she transforms from the hunted
into the huntress. She doesn't say a word, but the fierce look on her
face and determined preparation of the booby traps speak for themselves.